Magazine for a handgun

ABSTRACT

In order to increase the functional reliability of a weapon or the magazine of a firearm, even in case of dirtying, it is proposed to configure at least the inner side of the magazine housing coming in contact with a cartridge with a friction-reducing surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 61/245,764, filed on Sep. 25, 2009, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to magazines for storing cartridges in a firearm, and particularly in a handgun.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Magazines allow feeding the cartridges to be fired. Magazines differ, among other things, in shape, number of cartridges they can receive as well as in the arrangement of the cartridges received. Sporting firearms, for example, use five- to ten-round magazines. In Germany, automatic rifles approved for hunting purposes may only be used with a two-round magazine. Magazines containing a supply of ammunition of up to 200 cartridges or more are used during police and military operations.

A known shape of the magazine is the so-called box magazine. It is frequently used in pistols and typically has a capacity of between 5 and 40 cartridges. Depending on the embodiment of the box magazine, the cartridges received in the magazine can be arranged in a column or in a plurality of columns. Frequently, single- and double-column magazines are used, but multi-column (three- or four-column) magazines are also known.

A so-called casket magazine is a special form of the box magazine and is used, for example, in a variety of pistols. Casket magazines primarily use cartridge types in which the shell body is conically tapered toward the front, or cartridges that have an edge.

Other types or special forms of magazines include the trapezoidal box magazine, the pan magazine, the tubular magazine, and the helical magazine.

Magazines are made predominantly of steel, aluminum or plastic materials. In order to enable the advancement of the cartridges, magazines frequently contain a so-called magazine spring which acts on a magazine feeder piece resting against the bottom cartridge. In order to ensure that the cartridges remain in the magazine despite the spring force of the magazine spring, the magazine has so-called magazine lips at the upper edge of the magazine housing which position the top cartridge in a certain position between these lips.

Weapons are frequently stored and/or used under conditions that result in dirtying the weapon, and particularly the magazine and the cartridges located therein.

If the weapon is used, for example, in a sandy environment or following intensive contact with salt or dirty water, overall dirtying in the feeder of the cartridges may impair the function of the weapon. For example, if sand gets into the magazine (so-called sand accumulation), the weapon typically jams after a few shots, and feeding the cartridges is no longer possible. Even intensively shaking or tapping the magazine after contact with sand can often not prevent jamming.

It was shown that double-column magazines react particularly negatively to sand accumulation, and a functioning failure occurs very quickly in the form of jamming.

Testing methods are known, which ensure that the weapons guarantee a minimum degree of functional reliability even when exposed to dirt. In Germany, for example, there are “Testing Guidelines for the Technical Directive ‘Pistols’”, which describe testing methods for checking the functional reliability in the event of sand and dust, salt water, silt and other dirt situations. A standardized testing procedure in Great Britain is part of the “Ministry of Defense, Defense Standard 00-35, Issue 4 Publication Date 18 Sep. 2006”, described in “Environmental Handbook of Defense Material, Part 3, Environmental Test Methods”, such as in Chapter 3-25, “Test CL25—Dust and Sand”.

Handguns frequently only pass these test procedures if a dirty magazine is replaced by a clean magazine. This demonstrates that the functional reliability of a weapon is highly dependent on the functional reliability of the magazine.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure enables cartridges to be fed in a firearm, and in particular, to create a magazine for a firearm which enables increased functional reliability, even when the handgun is dirty, and particularly, when the magazine is dirty.

This is achieved, in one form, by a magazine that is designed according to the characteristics mentioned in the Claims.

According to the invention, all parts of the magazine that may cause jamming due to dirtying, for example, sand accumulation, are provided with a highly friction-reducing surface. Hereinafter, friction-reducing or friction-reduced shall be interpreted in particular as surfaces that cause a considerable reduction in the static friction compared to an untreated surface and/or the properties of the surfaces previously used in magazines.

In particular, the inner surface of the magazine has a friction-reducing coating and/or is made of a friction-reducing material at least in those areas where the surface has contact, or can come in contact, with the magazine spring, the feed system and/or the cartridges during use. Furthermore, at least the inner surfaces of the magazine that are only at a small distance from moving parts (magazine spring, feed system, cartridges) are likewise configured in a friction-reducing manner. The “small distance” here denotes a distance which is determined as a function of the size of the dirt particles. The distance is “small” if it corresponds at least approximately to the size (largest diameter) and preferably two or three times the size of the largest dirt particle that may cause jamming. Preferably, the entire inner surface of the magazine is designed in a friction-reducing manner.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the magazine spring and/or the feed system are likewise provided with a friction-reducing surface.

A friction-reducing surface can be generated by subsequent treatment, for example by applying a polymerized tetrafluoroethane-based surface sealing, such as Teflon. The surfaces, however, are preferably already configured in a friction-reducing manner when the magazine is manufactured. A wide variety of friction-reducing surfaces is in particular known from so-called nanotechnology, for example. Tests have shown that with surfaces that are configured in a friction-reducing manner with substances based on nanotechnology a clear increase in the reliability can be achieved in the magazine in the event of dirtying.

The cartridge cases are preferably likewise surface-treated, at least on the relevant surfaces (for example the outside of a cylindrical cartridge case). In this way, further friction reduction of the overall system is achieved and the function is ensured, even in the event of dirtying.

Overall, the magazine according to the invention prevents, or at least significantly reduces, adherence of the dirt particles as a result of the surface being configured in a friction-reduced manner because by reducing static friction the adhesion forces between the surfaces configured in a friction-reduced manner and the dirt particles are decreased. The dirt particles therefore do not adhere as easily to the surfaces, and/or they fall through the magazine or into a lower part of the magazine when it is lightly tapped or shaken, and as a result can no longer impair the function of the magazine and therefore the feeding of the cartridges.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the feed system is designed so as to further prevent adherence and/or retention of the dirt particles. For this purpose, in particular the contact surface with the inner side of the magazine housing can be reduced, for example by providing recesses, so that the dirt no longer adhering thereon due to the surface coating can fall particularly easily into the lower part of the magazine.

At least the friction surface of the feed system facing the inner wall of the magazine is preferably likewise coated in a friction-reduced manner and/or made of friction-reduced material.

A further increase in the functional reliability is achieved in the embodiments described above in that the spring tension of the magazine spring is increased compared to the conventional spring tension. In this way, dirt particles, which can still negatively influence the functional reliability although they may rest rather loosely on the surfaces, can be overcome by way of the increased spring force. In this embodiment, it is advantageous to reinforce the magazine lips in order to account for the increased spring pressure and enable a positioning of a cartridge intended to be fired. In particular when the magazine lips are made of plastic, reinforcement is advantageous in order to meet the increased requirements and prevent premature wear as a result of the increased forces.

Testing has also shown that rotating the spring such that a side of the spring originally pointing in the shooting direction now points counter to the shooting direction further improves the functional reliability of the surface-treated magazine.

By providing ammunition in which the surface is likewise coated in a friction-reduced manner, for example by way of a nano-coating, it is not only achieved that dirt cannot adhere to the cartridge case and/or the projectile, but also improved aerodynamics and consequently improved flight characteristics are achieved.

As a result, the invention increases the functional reliability of the weapon through the magazine designed according to the invention and/or through the cartridge cases and projectiles designed according to the invention. By reducing the friction of the surfaces, the dirt particles can no longer adhere thereto. Furthermore, protection against corrosion is provided by means of the friction-reducing characteristics of the surfaces. A treatment with grease or oils, as has been provided for the known magazines, is thus no longer required. At the same time, this prevents dirt from adhering to the oils and grease previously applied for lubrication and corrosion prevention, which can favor jamming.

Exemplary embodiments are described based on the following figures, wherein the individual characteristics may represent the invention either alone or in any arbitrary combination.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1: is a schematic illustration of a single-column magazine;

FIG. 2: is a schematic illustration of a double-column magazine;

FIG. 3: is a schematic illustration of the guide region of a magazine according to a known embodiment; and

FIG. 4: is a schematic illustration of the guide region of a magazine according to a preferred embodiment.

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses.

The magazine 1 a shown in FIG. 1 is a single-column box magazine. The magazine 1 a shown in a view in the direction in which of the bullet exit has a magazine housing 2. A magazine spring 3, which acts on a feed system 4 by way of a spring force, is disposed in the magazine housing 2. Magazine lips 6 are configured at the upper ends of the magazine housing 2 in FIG. 1.

A plurality of cartridges 5 are shown in the magazine 1 a, which are disposed in the magazine housing 2 between the feed system 4 and the magazine lips 6. For reasons of clarity only one cartridge 5 is provided with the reference numeral. Everything that is described with respect to this cartridge of course also applies to the other cartridges.

The magazine lips 6 are configured such that they securely hold the cartridges 5 in the magazine, despite the spring force that is applied by the magazine spring 3 and acts on the cartridges 5. According to an advantageous embodiment, the magazine spring 3 is reinforced. In this case, reinforcement only in the end of the magazine spring 3 that is opposite the firing direction of the cartridge 5 already provides a surprising improvement in reliability. This can be achieved particularly easily by rotating the magazine spring 180 [TN: °?] about the longitudinal axis of the magazine. In connection with reducing the friction, a reinforcement of the entire magazine spring 3 has proven to be a reliable measure to further reduce jamming. Of course, it may be provided that the spring force of the magazine spring 3 is increased by different amounts in different regions.

The magazine lips 6 are preferably configured in accordance with the increased spring force in order to ensure secure retention of the cartridges inside the magazine all the time.

The inner side of the magazine housing 2 is in contact with the cartridges 5 at the contact surfaces referred to by way of example with the reference numeral A, and it is in contact with the feed system 4 at the contact surfaces denoted by way of example with the reference numeral B. When the magazine 1 a is used in a weapon, the cartridges 5 still remaining after a projectile has been fired are guided upward by the spring force of the spring 3. As a result, the contact surfaces A and B accordingly move along the inner wall of the magazine housing 2 upward up to the magazine lips 6. Dirtying is especially critical at the contact surfaces A and B, or at the region of the inner side of the magazine housing 2 over which the contact surfaces A and B pass when the magazine 1 a is used. According to the invention, at least the region on the inner side of the magazine housing 2 that is passed over therefore has a friction-reduced surface.

According to a preferred embodiment, the magazine housing 2 comprises guide rails which are configured on the inner side and on which the cartridges 5 are guided in the magazine such that the cartridges have no or only little contact with other parts of the magazine housing. In this connection, the guides can be made of a material on which a friction-reducing surface can be configured particularly well. Furthermore, the guide rails can be completely made of a friction-reduced material.

The guide rails can be configured as metal guides, for example. If the magazine is made of plastic, a plurality of friction-reduced surfaces, which can be applied in particular onto metals, can be applied to the magazine. In this way, increased temperature stability of the magazine is achieved because even in the event of deformations occurring due to temperature influences or increased brittleness of the plastic of the magazine housing the functional reliability of the magazine is ensured by metal guides which are not influenced.

The feed system 4 is likewise configured in a friction-reducing manner at least on the outer sides on which it is in contact with the inner side of the magazine housing 2. In this way, it is also prevented that the dirt particles can deposit and impair the function.

In conventional magazines, jamming occurs in case of dirtying, and in particular in case of sand accumulation due to the adhering dirt particles, after a few shots. As the inner surfaces of the magazine housing 2 are configured in a low-friction manner according to the invention and the outer sides of the cartridge cases are likewise preferably configured in a low-friction manner, the dirt particles can no longer adhere. In this way, jamming is prevented.

It has been observed that especially in the case of double-column magazines jamming occurs due to dirtying, in particular due to sand accumulation. An exemplary embodiment of a double-column box magazine is shown in FIG. 2. The function of the magazine 1 b shown there basically corresponds to the magazine 1 a shown in FIG. 1. For this reason, corresponding parts of the magazines 1 a and 1 b are denoted with the same reference numerals.

In the magazine 1 b shown in FIG. 2, the cartridges 5 are disposed in two columns, wherein each cartridge 5 comes in contact with the magazine housing 2 at only one contact surface A. Compared to a single-column magazine, in a double-column arrangement of the cartridges a larger portion of the spring force acts perpendicularly on the inner side of the magazine housing 2, whereby the risk of jamming if dirtying increases further. In an embodiment of the surfaces according to the invention, and optionally in combination with an increase in the spring force of the magazine spring 3, and optionally a reinforcement of the magazine lips 6, a clear increase in reliability is achieved.

As a result of the surface being configured in a friction-reduced manner, the dirt particles can fall into the lower region of the magazine 1 a, 1 b without difficulty.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, a powdery dry-film lubricant is introduced into the magazine. Such a dry-film lubricant may comprise, for example, graphite, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), MoS2 (molybdenum disulfide) and/or another substance. By applying the dry-film lubricant, this lubricant adheres to the penetrating dirt particles and thereby reduces the friction of the surfaces of the dirt particles, which further facilitates the dirt particles falling into the lower region of the magazine. Preferably, oiling or greasing the magazine is abstained from, and the dry-film lubricant is applied instead, for example, during habitual gun care.

The magazine 1 a, 1 b is preferably designed such that the dirt particles can exit the magazine housing 2 at least at the lower part of the magazine. For this purpose, outlet openings may be provided, which are preferably likewise configured in a friction-reduced manner at the regions coming in contact with the dirt particles.

The magazine spring 3 is preferably likewise configured or coated in a friction-reducing manner. As the magazine spring 3 also has contact with the inner side of the housing (cf. the contact points shown by way of example with sign C), the functional reliability is increased even further.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, in which the magazine is a multi-column magazine and comprises a guide region via which a narrowing of the magazine housing is achieved in the radial direction with respect to the cartridges, it is provided that the guide region is configured in a curved manner at least after the magazine wall.

FIG. 3 shows an upper section of a magazine, which corresponds to the magazine 1 b shown in FIG. 2, for example. In FIG. 3, a guide region 8 a is shown, which forms the region between the parallel magazine walls 7 of the magazine housing 2 and the magazine lips 6. In the known embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the guide region 8 a connects to the respective magazine wall 7 by forming an angle in a connection area D1. This means that the cartridges have two contact surfaces—a first one with the magazine wall 7 and a second one with the guide region 8—in the transition from the magazine wall 7 to the guide region 8 a. Dirt particles may accumulate between these contact surfaces, i.e. in the connection area D1, for example, and negatively impact the transport of the cartridges.

In contrast, FIG. 4 shows a guide region 8 b which connects to the respective magazine wall 7 in the form of a curvature in a connection area D2, and consequently does not form an angle but a circular arc, which potentially has a variable radius, with the magazine walls 7. In this way, the cartridges never form two separate contact surfaces in the transition from the magazine wall 7 to the guide region 8 b, but are only guided in the magazine housing by a single contact surface instead. This has the advantage that the transport of the cartridges is further facilitated, particularly in multi-column magazines.

The entire guide region 8 b may be configured in a curved manner, wherein the degree of the curvature within the guide region 8 b may vary in order to enable a particularly low-friction transport of the cartridges in the magazine and ensure that the cartridges always have only one contact surface with the magazine wall or the guide region.

Each of the measures described above may be used alone or supplemented by one or more of the measures described above in order to increase the reliability in the event of dirtying. By combining all measures described above, a particularly high reliability is achieved.

A plurality of agents is known for reducing the friction, which may be based, for example, on nanostructures or so-called polymerized tetrafluoroethane. In principle, all known agents may be used for treating the surfaces in the magazine.

It should be noted that the disclosure is not limited to the embodiment described and illustrated as examples. A large variety of modifications have been described and more are part of the knowledge of the person skilled in the art. These and further modifications as well as any replacement by technical equivalents may be added to the description and figures, without leaving the scope of the protection of the disclosure and of the present patent. 

1. A magazine for a weapon, particularly a handgun, having a magazine housing and provided to receive cartridges, characterized in that at least inner surfaces coming in contact with the cartridges have a friction-reducing surface.
 2. The magazine according to claim 1, the magazine having a magazine spring and a feed system, characterized in that an inner surface of the magazine housing is configured in a friction-reducing manner in regions in which contact with at least one of the magazine spring and regions in which contact with the feed system is possible.
 3. The magazine according to claim 2, characterized in that the magazine spring is reinforced at least in a region acting on the part of the cartridge disposed opposite a shooting direction.
 4. The magazine according to claim 1, characterized in that the magazine has magazine lips and that the magazine lips are configured in a friction-reducing manner at least at surfaces coming in contact with a cartridge.
 5. The magazine according to claim 1, characterized in that at least cylindrical outer surface of the cartridges have a friction-reducing surface.
 6. The magazine according to claim 1, the magazine being a multi-column magazine and comprising a guide region via which a narrowing of the magazine housing is achieved in a radial direction with respect to the cartridges, characterized in that the guide region has a curved design at least in a connection area with a magazine wall.
 7. The magazine according to claim 6, characterized in that the guide region forms a circular arc with the magazine housing at least in a connection area.
 8. The magazine according to claim 1, characterized in that a powdery dry-film lubricant is introduced into the magazine.
 9. The magazine according to claim 8, characterized in that at least one component of the powdery dry-film lubricant is graphite, PTFE and MoS₂. 